1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image information processing system, and more particularly to an image information processing system provided with an I/O unit, image memory and control unit for image information and being capable of transmitting or receiving the image information to or from another system as well as independently operating the I/O unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An image information processing system is greatly needed nowadays in the field of office automation, to process image information such as pictures, diagrams or photographs in a manner similar to that of document processing, and such as can interchange the image information between other systems by way of communication networks and so on. Such image information processing systems are now available in the market.
With the apparatus of this type, an original is set on an input device such as an image scanner for inputting the image information. The input device then reads the image information of the original, compresses the read-out image information to a proper size, and transmits the compressed image information and original size information (i.e., image information capacity) to another apparatus.
The apparatus receives data and selects, in accordance with the original size information, a paper sheet of a designated size from recording papers set in the output device such as a laser beam printer for outputting the image information. The apparatus then expands, if necessary, the received image information to print it out.
The above functions except transmission control are quite the same as those of the conventional copying machine. Therefore, the apparatus can be used as a copier while on-line processing is not being performed. Thus, the apparatus can be used very efficiently. In view of this, some apparatuses have been constructed so that they may be used as copiers while on-line processing is not being performed.
The apparatus of the above type, however, cannot perform on-line processing while it is being used as a copier, so that image information from another apparatus, even as small as one page information output, can not be received until the end of the off-line processing. Alternatively, the other apparatus can not transmit image information until the end of the off-line processing at a receiving side. Thus, it is very inefficient and inconvenient.
Furthermore, during the execution of on-line processing, e.g., during the transmission of image information, the apparatus can not perform off-line processing, even as small as one page copying, until the end of the on-line processing, which is extremely inconvenient.